Big Chill 2013 Poster!

Gorgeous!  Molly Steinmetz, MECA student and mastermind behind bitches and beehives, has designed a lovely poster for our craft fair coming up this December.  The original is black and white, and we will be taking it to task with an armada of watercolors.  Would you like a few posters of your own to paint and post?  Just email:  audrey@mayostreetarts.org to find out how to get your hands on some copies.

Annnd… it’s still not too late to apply!  Applications close October 31st and we love to see all the creativity that’s been pouring in to our mailbox.  Click the “Apply!” tab at the top of the page to download the application and instructions.

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Big Thaw ’12 Posters!

click on link to purchase poster

Yay!!  Posters are here!  Actually, they’ve been here for some time, but I’m finally just able to get off my lazy end and take a picture or two.  Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson (who will be setting up their wares at The Thaw on May 12!) spent some quality time making yet another work of art for us to share our event with the world.

click to purchase Big Thaw poster!

The posters are for sale in the Etsy shop, and you can send me a message if you’d like a listing created with no shipping fee and you can just pick it up at the sale.   Purchasing these posters at $10-a-pop (what a deal!) really helps to support the time and effort that goes in to the creation of our Big Thaw event.  If you need any more incentive, just know that they are gorgeous, three-color screen prints on a Spring-y green french paper as the background —  Kris and Meagan also used a ‘split fountain’ on the sky, which is why you get such a nice gradation in the blue sky.

click to view listing for this poster

Some people have asked why we’re so crazy to spend time and money on a limited edition, hand printed event poster when just a flyer would do.  The answer?  We really care about quality work, and we also really care about artists working in our community.  Even though we only have 100 posters to sell and post around town each one of those packs a real punch.  This time it’s a deer, squirrel and birdy punch.  Pow!

The Big Thaw arts, crafts and vintage sale will take place on Saturday, May 12 at Mayo Street Arts Center at 10 Mayo Street in Portland, ME from 10am to 4pm.  We hope to see you there!

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Poster Process!

A huge part of the Big Thaw and the Big Chill is our handprinted posters, a collaboration from Kris Johnsen and Meagan Anderson.  Advertising our event with artwork that has been locally-sourced and cared for is important!  And… we’re picking up the posters this week – excitement!  For now, enjoy these pictures of the process that Kris and Meagan went through to make them.  We’ll post pictures of the final product soon:

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Big Thaw March Updates: More to Come Soon!

Good morning, Maine!  Vendors for The Big Thaw ’12 have been selected and notified, and now’s the time to mobilize all my notes, websites, photographs and features so we can bring you weeks and weeks of visual delights from the cast + crew.  First thingies first:

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The Big Thaw poster '11

Meagan and Kris are busy at work putting together the poster for the event, you may have seen their work hanging around Portland in the past, or just seen the perfection that is the limited edition screen printed event poster.  Practical?  No.  Completely worth it?  Yes.  Each event, we have printed 100 limited edition, large-ish attention-getting posters to be hung in local businesses and organizations in the Greater Portland area.  The Thaw is about quality, handmade or vintage, aesthetically sound goods and what better way to show this by using our poster as art?

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Big Thaw vendors will be posted ASAP for those of you curious about what to expect on May 12.  How appropriate that the event being the day before Mother’s Day we’ve had an absolute avalanche of applications from people who make goods for wee ones as well as vendors who make women’s clothing.  The selection of the work is vast, and there will definitely be something for everyone.  Keep peeking back for that tab at the top that says “Vendors.”

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 How exciting that Spring is almost here, we’re about to push the clocks forward and it will be light out ’til 7pm (!!!), and The Big Thaw is on its way!  Be back soon, guys, with eye candy and goodies galore!

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Vendor Spotlight: Meagan Anderson

Meagan Anderson

Where does the time go?  Only 10 days now until The BIG THAW and we are excited!  To all those out there in the cyberspace that have been following us, please be sure to tell your friends or… even better!  Take them with you to Mayo Street Arts Center at 10 Mayo St. in Portland on Saturday, April 16th.  We just realized that this is the weekend before Easter – so what a great opportunity to fill your baskets with local, springtime treats for the kiddos to find among the new grass and crocuses.  Lovely!

Meagan Anderson

Today we are featuring Meagan Anderson whose name you might recognize from all the chattering I did about her at the beginning of February when she and Kris Johnsen (of Emblem Studio) were designing our incredibly awesome poster.  Well, Meagan does more than cater to my screen printing needs and I thought you might like to see some more of her work!

Meagan Anderson

Animals are a regular theme in Meagan’s art, when asked about this Meagan said:  “I have a strong attraction to the human condition and this leads me to utilize an allegorical animal kingdom to depict and describe this understanding of identity and interaction. I am particulary attracted to drawing carnivores and exploring the savage competition through the roles of prey and predator -in the hopes of a greater understanding of the dualistic nature of human identity as a member of both an organic natural world as well as of the synthetic cultural systems of civilization.”

Meagan Anderson

In addition to the awesome prints you’re seeing here you can be sure to find drawings, collages, cozy knits and sewn items at the table she’ll be sharing with Emblem Studio at The BIG THAW!

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Vendor Spotlight: Pinecone and Chickadee

Welcome to the first of a series of 39 (give or take!) spotlights on our amazing BIG THAW vendors.  Although we have a handy-dandy vendors directory for you to peruse, sometimes it’s nice to really get to know what our amazing neighbors are up to.

 

Kid's Tiger Shirt

Today we’re focusing on Pinecone and Chickadee, the graphic design and screen printing house of Portlanders Amy Teh and Noah Defilippis.  As a ‘seasoned’ (I get around!) craft fair seller and buyer I’ve grown accustomed to seeing one or both of their smiling faces among a forest of silk-screened tees, cards, journals and more.

 

Strong Man Tote

Pinecone and Chickadee’s simple, satisfying aesthetic lets adults be lighthearted and kids even more totally nuts than they are.  We highly recommend checking out the merchandise on their web page to get your wheels turning about what P+C delights you’ll be carrying home in a shopping back with you from The BIG THAW on Saturday, April 16th (ohmygosh!  It’s less than a month away!)

 

Picnic Poster 2010

Not only do Amy and Noah create their own masterpieces of apparel, they are a good chunk of the driving force behind PICNIC (our craft-fair-crush of the decade).  They have also recently designed a line of t-shirts featuring animals from coffee-growing regions for local caffeinators, Coffee By Design.  Mmm art and coffee, okay, I give up, you win!

Lady + Llama Women's T-Shirt

 

Ladies, you’ll also be pleased to know Pinecone and Chickadee carry a line of women’s shirts that are more flattering than your average silk-screened T.  I personally am saving a bit of my 2011 tax refund for the Lady + Llama T-Shirt or a Crying Tiger.  I can’t decide which!

And no outsourcing here:  all of Pinecone and Chickadee’s wares are designed, silk screened and hand printed by Amy and Noah.

Stop by The BIG THAW Arts, Crafts and Vintage Sale on Saturday, April 16th at Mayo Street Arts Center in Portland’s East Bayside to pick up some P+C wares for yourself!

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Forefront Fashion Feature

Forefront Fashion Interview, Audrey Yapping, of course

Portland aesthetics:  unite!  I met with Laura and Nate of Forefront Fashion at Coffee By Design on India St. the other night to go over some of the detail of The BIG THAW.  Naturally, they posted a very flattering picture of me, some of The BIG THAW wares, and lots of info about TBT vendors to come!

Click here to read the awesome snippet!

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